Universal Preschool News

In this section, you'll find editorials, legislation, public policy and trends
on issues relating to preschool, pre-kindergarten, childcare and the push toward
universal preschool education. Particularly of note are articles concerning the
states claim of a compelling interest in compulsory preschool education. Visit
often for the latest preschool news.

Parents go to school on giving kids a good startPolice take up the cry to get all 4-year-olds into preschool.
The situation in San Leandro is not unique. A statewide survey of publicly funded preschool programs found anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 children waiting for slots in either Head Start, state preschool programs or general child care - all of which serve low-income families.

Popping Pills in PreschoolNo one flinched when a child psychiatrist told a conference of parents and counselors that she had prescribed antidepressants to children as young as 3-1/2.
Audience members at the San Diego conference, after all, were quite familiar with the concept of preschoolers on Prozac. Many of the parents in the audience have children who suffer from a debilitating form of shyness called selective mutism, one of a handful of mental disorders thought to strike children younger than 6.by Randy DotingaFebruary 5, 2005[More Results from Wired News]

Do Pre-K Center Care Programs Work?A number of states have initiated, or are in the process of initiating, free pre-K center care programs for children from low-income families.In the case of Smart Start and Kid Stuff, the states estimate that when fully implemented, these programs will cost in excess of $300 million per year.

Don't Cry for Me, Head StartIt's been 33 years since the Head Start program was founded in hopes that it would end what President Johnson described as the "pattern of poverty."Perhaps, its founders reasoned, federally subsidized early intervention could help all children enter school on an equal footing and thereby give disadvantaged children opportunities formerly reserved to the middle and upper classes. Unfortunately, the experiment has fallen short of fulfilling that hope.by Darcy Olsen and Eric OlsenAugust 15, 1999[More Results from CATO Institute]